The Trial of Hester Prynne
by Diana Crescent
Summary: My take on Hawthorne's mysterious trailtakes place before the book obviously


The Trial Of Hester Prynne  
  
Diana Crescent  
  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne owned that, and now his family owns that.  
  
This was an English assignment that I thought all of you might like.  
  
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The crowd sat in a room full of tension, silent enough to be in church service. Not even a shoe scuff made its way into the void. The room was destitute of anything acoustic in nature, like a nightmare where no one could hear a piercing scream.  
  
This nightmare of echoing nothingness belonged to her. She sat like a statue of marble, pale with anger, fear, and determination. They all stared at her, not making a sound, but their silence was deafening. She could hear their thoughts, claiming her many things not properly said in a church or a Puritan home. Many were happy to see her suffer and many were happy that they themselves had not been caught in their own sin.  
  
Her soul was screaming with the confinement they had forced on her. She wanted to run away, begin a new life with her precious gem. The one thing that had cost her all this and more, which she had sold willingly to buy her only happiness. Bible verses from Matthew were pounding like a living heart in her mind. A pearl of high price.  
  
She was Hester Prynne. A lovely, young woman with a free spirit, owning a quality about herself like no other. She was regal and not ashamed to hold her head up and admit her sin. It was self-made and ran deep into her heart of hearts. But she would endure it, this trial and much more. She was strong and she would walk in shame with her head held up, in no way giving them the satisfaction of letting them see her suffer. They would not strike their happiness from her wretchedness.  
  
She closed her dark eyes for a fraction of a moment, as a weak faint washed over her. She had just given birth to a lovely baby girl not days before and was still weak from the effort.  
  
Now, mind you, this is no crime. Not by any means would having a child or even a female child be something that would fill up the small church house with single-minded Puritans eagerly awaiting this miserable soul's earthly damnation. It was the simple, painful fact that she, Mistress Prynne, was husband-less at the time of conception and at the time of birth. In some sense, she did have a husband, but not one that she had seen in over two years. Her husband, Master Prynne, had been declared dead because of the painfully clear facts that no one had seen or heard of him in the two years that Hester had been apart of the Boston Colony.  
  
She breathed in, trying to clear her mind of their noiseless damnation and her slight weakness. The room had a distinct odor of ancient pine and cedar with a hint of a floral oil that was used to wipe the pews with. If one had a particular knowledge of floral scents, they would be able to discern wild roses. violets, and rosemary, which were the most prominent in the oil.  
  
The crowed shifted as the doors and her heart came to life, pounding in her ribs. The blood rushed to her neck and ears, making it hard for her to think or even follow along with the ceremony. She bit the inside of her cheek, praying by the grace of God that He would at least find enough pity for her that she would be allowed to raise her own child. It was true, she'd broken one of His sacred laws. Yes, it was true, she'd even gone as far as to say she could care less that she had. But, did not Adam take the fruit from Eve, as Eve had taken it from the snake? Had not Cain slain Able? All she had wanted was a child to raise as her own, something she would never have had if she had not sinned so deeply.  
  
Her heart clenched horridly as they brought the child in. Her little Pearl. Her own high price. She simply closed her eyes and began to recite the bible verse that was plaguing her soul.  
  
"Again the kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away, sold everything he had and bought it."  
  
She could no longer help herself, but she would be bent and broken before they took her child. They would not come like a thief in the night. She would be no fool nor weeping sinner, ready to give up everything to repent. The only way her little Pearl would leave her was if God struck her dead in order to stop her. She prayed that He didn't.  
  
The magistrate stood up. "Dost thou, Hester Prynne, admit to this sin that thou stands accused for?"  
  
"There is no way to disprove what I stand accused for, nor would I deny it. Not in God's house or any other place on earth.."  
  
The magistrate chuckled at this. "You would sin against God in one way, but hold yourself above sin."  
  
"We have all sinned and all do sin. No one is above it. However, God's house is holy. No matter how deep and black my sin is, I was still raised by God-fearing people who taught me better."  
  
Everyone sat shocked at her boldness and were in awe.  
  
The magistrate looked uncomfortable, but cleared his throat and went on. "Will you speak now of your partner in this blackness of sin?"  
  
Hester simply squared her jaw and cocked a dark eyebrow.  
  
"Whilst thou not speak, woman?"  
  
"I shall not."  
  
"For what reasons?"  
  
"My reasons are mine own, between only God and myself."  
  
"For this child's own soul and own salvation, if she is so lucky, I say we take her from the mother!" the eldest preacher said quite suddenly, his voice raspy and harsh to all who heard it.  
  
Hester's heart faltered, and she squeezed her eyes shut, ready to do battle with these people. Another verse entered swiftly. "Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, for they trample them under their feet and turn again and rend you." At that moment she felt as though she were living that entire verse.  
  
She was the dog, not good enough to behold the child, and most absurdly not good enough to be the keeper of the holiest part of this child's being, the soul of her daughter. But these people, these swine, sought to take her pearl! She would not stand for it, for they would constantly hold the mother's sin over the daughter's head and, in doing so, destroy the soul that they sought to protect. That would destroy Hester. It would tear what little remained of her own soul from the sinew of her being. She would have no more hope in the world that she might be redeemed and find forgiveness.  
  
"What is my strength, that I should hope? And what is mine end, that I should prolong my life." she thought, losing Pearl would do just that--just what Job had spoken of. "God, without my daughter, how would I find any strength?" she prayed.  
  
No one had yet spoken after the elder's statement, but she was shocked when she gained an unlikely ally.  
  
Arthur Dimmesdale, the young priest whom she had given her confessionals to, stood nervously, as was his manner. "I do not think that we should. God gave her this child for some strange, phenomenal reason, beyond our own comprehension. It was His doing, and should be His undoing. I know we will see the reasons when it is all at an end."  
  
Everyone pondered this. Hester tried to show him her thanks by finding his eyes, but his would not meet hers. He could not look upon her face, so she lowered her eyes, so he might lift his.  
  
Each of her judges gathered together to discuss this new thought, as well as her punishment.  
  
"So be it. Because of the good brother Dimmesdale's reasoning, you shall be allowed to raise the child instead of suffering the rightful consequences of our laws which requires death. Instead, you shall wear a scarlet letter "A" on your chest for the rest of your earth-bound days. You shall spend three months in prison, during which time you shall stitch the letter on all of the clothing in your possession. When all of this is done, you shall stand on the scaffold in the town market for an hours time, and may you never forget what you have done." the magistrate said coldly.  
  
A shudder ran through Hester and she knew that death would have been better if it were not for her child. She would live in shame. God had granted His blessing and would allow her to fulfill whatever purpose He had placed for her. And so help her God, she would never forget. The scarlet letter may or may not always be on her clothing, but it would always be branded on her soul for the Almighty to see when He made His judgment of her.  
  
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Okay, yeah, that's the end of that English assignment. How you like it. Review if you want. 


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